Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The endorsement came just as the Biden administration accused Russia of orchestrating a sophisticated election interference campaign.
In New York, two Russian women were charged with funneling millions of dollars to a U.S. company, which then paid online influencers to spread Kremlin-favorable narratives.
Putin’s Sarcastic Endorsement
“I said that our ‘favorite,’ if I may say so, was the incumbent President Mr. Biden. He was removed from the race, but he recommended that all his supporters support Ms. Harris. So we will do the same, we will support her,” Putin stated with a sly smile during an economic forum in Vladivostok.
His mocking tone continued, “She laughs so expressively and infectiously that it means that everything is fine with her. And if everything is fine with her — then Trump has introduced so many restrictions and sanctions against Russia that no president has ever introduced before — and if everything is fine with Ms. Harris, then maybe she will refrain from such actions of this kind.”
Keir Giles, a Russia expert at the Chatham House think tank, noted that Putin’s facial expression was characteristic of his trolling tactics.
“It’s not surprising that Putin said this with a smirk on his face, that is what he tends to do when engaging in the most blatant and overt trolling of American audiences,” Giles explained.
“It is a burst of trolling, and he’s done it before. We had the same excited reaction from some sections of U.S. and international media when he previously endorsed Biden, but of course it is meaningless. There is a clear preference from Russia because there is only one presidential candidate that is so much in favor of Russian interests and would be so inclined to pander to what Russia wants from Ukraine, from Europe, form the world and from the United States,” Giles added, pointing to former President Trump.
DOJ Takes Action Against Election Interference
Meanwhile, the Biden administration accused Russia of trying to meddle in the November election by creating fake news sites to spread propaganda. The Justice Department, in conjunction with the FBI, seized 32 internet domains used by Russian actors to covertly influence U.S. public opinion.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “This is deadly serious and we are going to treat it accordingly,” underscoring the gravity of the situation. He revealed that Russia Today (RT), a state-funded media outlet, had funded a Tennessee-based company to produce content sowing division within U.S. society and undermining support for Ukraine.
The Kremlin’s Propaganda Playbook
Justice Department documents revealed one Russian campaign, the “Good Old USA Project,” aimed to reduce President Biden’s approval rating before he dropped out of the race. Another, the “U.S. Social Media Influencers Project,” sought to exploit the Republican Party’s perceived pro-Russian agenda.
In July, U.S. intelligence officials warned that Russia was actively working to bolster Trump’s candidacy in this election cycle, mirroring their interference efforts in 2016 and 2020. “We have not observed a shift in Russia’s preferences for the presidential race from past elections, given the role the U.S. is playing with regard to Ukraine and broader policy towards Russia,” an ODNI official stated.
